Officer Arrested On Sexual-battery Charge

Orlando Police Say David Hopkins Molested A 13-year-old Neighbor Who Sought His Advice.

November 20, 1993|By Tom Leithauser of The Sentinel Staff

Orlando police arrested one of their own Friday and charged him with sexual battery on a 13-year-old neighbor who said she went to the officer's house seeking advice.

David B. Hopkins, 26, was free on $2,500 bail Friday after being booked into the Orange County jail.

Police gave the following account:

Two teen-age girls who lived near Hopkins went to his townhouse at 4435 Beaumont Drive Wednesday to ask him about a possible child abuse case involving one of their baby-sitting customers.

While there, the 13-year-old mentioned that she sometimes gets into fights with her mother and thought the most recent fight had left her with bruises on her back.

Hopkins said he wanted to see the bruises and asked her to lift her shirt. He looked at her back and then asked her to go upstairs so he could examine her further.

While upstairs, he asked the girl to take off her clothes and lie on the bed. Then, police said, he rubbed his hands on her and penetrated her with his finger, prompting the girl to jump up and get dressed.

Hopkins returned downstairs ahead of the girl and told her friend she had to be searched before she went home. During the search, he placed his hand inside her shorts.

Before the 13-year-old left the apartment, he offered to give her some of the wine he was drinking. She declined and returned home to tell her mother what had happened.

The girls passed a lie detector test, according to the arrest affidavit filed by detectives.

Hopkins was suspended with pay Thursday and will remain suspended until the conclusion of the criminal case, said police spokesman Sgt. Pete Gauntlett. Police also are conducting an internal review. Hopkins has been with the department less than two years, Gauntlett said.